{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}} {{Infobox album | name = The Reality of My Surroundings | type = studio | artist = [[Fishbone]] | cover = The Reality of My Surroundings.jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|1991|04|23}} | recorded = November 1990 – January 1991 | studio = *[[Ocean Way Recording|Ocean Way]] (Hollywood, California) *Studio 55 (Hollywood) *Summa (West Hollywood) *[[Capitol Studios|Capitol]] (Hollywood) | venue = | genre = *[[Funk metal]]<ref>{{Cite web |website=[[Ultimate Guitar]] |date=October 18, 2020 |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/top_8_iconic_funk_metal_albums-112199 |title=Top 8 Iconic 'Funk Metal' Albums |access-date=June 17, 2023}}</ref> *[[funk rock]]<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |date=May 24, 1991 |title=Hybrid sounds |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/05/24/hybrid-sounds/ |access-date=2023-06-19 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> | length = {{Duration|m=59|s=39}} | label = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]<ref name="auto">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&q=The+Reality+of+My+Surroundings+fishbone+1991&pg=PA1130 |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |first=Colin |last=Larkin |date=May 27, 2011 |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |isbn=9780857125958 |via=Google Books}}</ref> | producer = Fishbone, [[David Kahne]] | prev_title = [[Set the Booty Up Right]] | prev_year = 1990 | next_title = [[Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe]] | next_year = 1993 | misc = {{Singles | name = The Reality of My Surroundings | type = album | single1 = Fight the Youth | single1date = 1991 | single2 = [[Everyday Sunshine]] | single2date = 1991 | single3 = [[Sunless Saturday]] | single3date = 1991 }} }}
'''''The Reality of My Surroundings''''' is the third studio album by the American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Fishbone]], released on April 23, 1991, by [[Columbia Records]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-07-ca-355-story.html |title=Fishbone's New Line : The eclectic L.A. funk band never had trouble 'crossing over' to a white audience, but now it wants to cross back |last=Gold |first=Jonathan |date=April 7, 1991 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>
==Background and recording== ''The Reality of My Surroundings'' was recorded after the band had achieved breakthrough success in 1988 following a stint opening for [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]], which had contributed to their album ''[[Truth and Soul]]'' (1988) charting in the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="Stafford">{{cite web |url=https://diffuser.fm/fishbone-reality-anniversary/ |title=25 Years Ago: Fishbone Release the Funk-Metal Blueprint, 'The Reality of My Surroundings' |last=Stafford |first=James |website=[[Diffuser (website)|Diffuser]] |date=April 22, 2016 |access-date=July 13, 2025}}</ref> They had also appeared in the film ''[[Tapeheads]]'' that year at the suggestion of star [[John Cusack]].<ref name="Stafford"/>
The band spent most of 1989 composing the songs for the album, which contain elements of [[funk]], [[rock music|rock]], [[reggae]], [[hard rock]], [[punk rock]] and a new focus on [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]]-inspired guitars.<ref name="Stafford"/><ref name="allmusic"/> Basic tracks for the album were recorded in Hollywood at [[Ocean Way Recording]], with overdubs done at Ocean Way, Studio 55, Summa and [[Capitol Studios]].<ref name="Liners">{{Cite AV media notes |title=The Reality of My Surroundings |author=[[Fishbone]] |date=1991 |type=CD liner notes |publisher=[[Columbia Records]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |id=CK 46142}}</ref> All four "If I Were A...I'd" tracks were recorded live.<ref name="Liners"/>
[[AllMusic]] writer Greg Prato notes that the material is "unpredictable" and "off-the-wall" in comparison to its more "straightforward" predecessor.<ref name="allmusic"/> "So Many Millions" contains the line, "I cannot get over legitimately, the reality of my surroundings do not point to the sky, so why even try", which ''[[Newsday]]'' writer Martin Johnson observed "captures the pall that lingers over much of the recording".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/706183180/ |title=Bad to the Fishbone |last=Johnson |first=Martin |newspaper=[[Newsday]] |date=May 19, 1991 |access-date=July 13, 2025}}</ref>
''The Reality of My Surroundings'' was Fishbone's first album to feature former [[Miles Davis]] music director John Bigham (guitar, keyboards), who joined the band in 1989 during the ''Truth and Soul'' tour.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.furious.com/perfect/fishbone.html |title=Perfect Sound Forever: Fishbone |last=Crigler |first=Peter |website=[[Perfect Sound Forever (magazine)|Perfect Sound Forever]] |date=August 2024}}</ref> Following this album's release, guitarist Kendall Jones left the band.<ref name="Stafford"/>
==Release and reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |title=''The Reality of My Surroundings'' Review |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r7279/review|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]] |last=Prato |first=Greg |access-date=April 29, 2011}}</ref> |rev2 = [[Robert Christgau]] |rev2score = {{Rating-Christgau|dud}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Fishbone |title=Robert Christgau: CG: Fishbone |website=[[Robert Christgau]]}}</ref> |rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]'' |rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="auto"/> | rev5 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | rev5Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Brackett |first=Nathan |title=Fishbone Overview |work=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |date=November 2004 |page=298}}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' | rev4Score = A−<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bernard |first=James |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/04/26/reality-my-surroundings/ |title=''The Reality of My Surroundings'' Review |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=April 1991 |access-date=April 29, 2011}}</ref> }} The album was a critical and commercial success, peaking at No. 49 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] on May 18, 1991.<ref name="Billboard">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/fishbone |title=Fishbone |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> Due to the sudden implementation of [[Nielsen SoundScan]] tracking figures on the ''Billboard'' charts, ''The Reality of My Surroundings'' sharply dropped to No. 182 in two weeks.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |date=May 22, 1991 |title=Billboard Does a Number |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/05/22/billboard-does-a-number/b2cccee7-fc44-498e-96d4-4b9e6f2e3ef4/ |access-date=2023-01-17 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> The album ultimately spent ten weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, and by 1997 the album had sold nearly 200,000 copies in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boehm |first=Mike |date=November 21, 1997 |title=The Art of Bait and Switch |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-21-ca-56200-story.html |access-date=January 17, 2023 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Fishbone |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/fishbone/ |access-date=January 17, 2023 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The album was promoted with three single releases: "Fight the Youth", whose [[music video]] was given exposure on [[MTV]], followed by "[[Everyday Sunshine]]" and "[[Sunless Saturday]]".<ref name="Stafford"/>
The album is widely considered by fans and critics as the creative peak of the band. ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' called ''The Reality of My Surroundings'' Fishbone's most impressive album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-the-reality-of-my-surroundings-vol-35-no-20/|title=Picks and Pans Review: The Reality of My Surroundings|website=PEOPLE.com}}</ref> ''[[Trouser Press]]'' wrote that "the sprawling [album] reprises much of ''Truth and Soul''‘s spirit and sound, but is far more ambitious in scope and philosophy."<ref>{{cite web |title=Fishbone |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/fishbone/ |website=[[Trouser Press]] |access-date=August 3, 2020}}</ref> Several critics likened the album to [[the Beatles]]' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967).<ref name="allmusic"/>
Fishbone experienced a large growth in concert tickets and record sales during this period, making two memorable television appearances: performing "Sunless Saturday" and "Everyday Sunshine" on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', and the latter on ''[[The Arsenio Hall Show]]''.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}
==Track listing== {{Track listing | title1 = Fight the Youth | writer1 = John Norwood Fisher, Philip Fisher, Kendall Jones | length1 = 5:01 | title2 = If I Were A...I'd | writer2 = Chris Dowd, [[Angelo Moore]] | length2 = 0:54 | title3 = So Many Millions | writer3 = J. N. Fisher, Moore | length3 = 5:50 | title4 = Asswhippin{{'-}} | writer4 = John Bigham, Dowd, J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher, Jones, Walter A. Kibby II, Moore | length4 = 0:40 | title5 = Housework | writer5 = J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher, Jones, Kibby, Moore | length5 = 4:46 | title6 = Death March | writer6 = Dowd, Moore | length6 = 0:34 | title7 = Behavior Control Technician | writer7 = J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher | length7 = 3:09 | title8 = If I Were A...I'd | writer8 = Dowd, Moore | length8 = 0:29 | title9 = Pressure | writer9 = Jones, Moore | length9 = 4:47 | title10 = Junkies Prayer | writer10 = Dowd, J. N. Fisher, Jones, Moore, Byron West | length10 = 3:01 | title11 = Pray to the Junkiemaker | writer11 = Dowd, Moore | length11 = 4:03 | title12 = [[Everyday Sunshine]] | writer12 = Dowd, Moore | length12 = 4:57 | title13 = If I Were A...I'd | writer13 = Dowd, Moore | length13 = 0:29 | title14 = Naz-Tee May'en | writer14 = J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher, Jones, Moore | length14 = 4:56 | title15 = Babyhead | writer15 = Kibby | length15 = 5:31 | title16 = If I Were A...I'd | writer16 = Dowd, Moore | length16 = 0:53 | title17 = Those Days Are Gone | writer17 = Dowd, J. N. Fisher | length17 = 5:23 | title18 = [[Sunless Saturday]] | writer18 = Jones | length18 = 4:18 }}
==Personnel== Credits adapted from CD liner notes.<ref name="Liners"/>
'''Fishbone''' *[[Angelo Moore]] *Chris Dowd *Walter A. Kibby II *John Norwood Fisher *Kendall Jones *Fish *John Bigham
'''Additional musicians''' *Fernando Pullum – trumpet *Sam Mims – [[programming (music)|keyboard programming]] *T-Bone – percussion *Greg Bell, Vicky Calhoun, Aklia Chin, Katherine Cederquist, Jeff Conners, [[Laurence Fishburne|Larry Fishburne]], James Grey, Kyva Holmes, Nadja Holmes, Wendell Holmes, Natalie Jackson, Gaz Mayall, Sultana Muhammad, [[Susan Rogers]], [[Michael "Clip" Payne|Clip Payne]], Susan Stoval, [[Kristen Vigard]], Byron West – background vocals
'''Technical''' {{div col|colwidth=25em}} *[[Fishbone]] – producers *[[David Kahne]] – producer *Larry Duhart – engineer *Joel Stoner – additional engineering *Clark Germain – additional engineering *Dan Bosworth – assistant engineer *Mark Guilbeault – assistant engineer *Steve Holroyd – assistant engineer *[[Clif Norrell]] – assistant engineer *Rail Rogut – assistant engineer *Eric Rudd – assistant engineer *Richard Engstrom – assistant engineer *Ken Felton – assistant engineer *Kyle Beff – assistant engineer *Randy Wine – assistant engineer *[[Sylvia Massy]] – assistant engineer *Chris Theis – assistant engineer *[[Michael Brauer]] – mixing (1–3, 7, 11, 12, 18) *[[Thom Panunzio]] – mixing (2, 4–6, 8, 10, 13, 16) *[[Ron St. Germain]] – live engineer (2, 8, 13, 16) *[[Niko Bolas]] – mixing (9, 17) *Byron West – mixing (14, 15) *Wally Traugott – mastering *Stacy Drummond – art direction, design *Max Aguilera-Hellweg – photography *Kendall – handwriting {{div col end}}
==Accolades== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:0em 1em 1em 0pt" !Year !Publication !Country !Accolade !Rank !class=unsortable| |- |align=center|1991 ||''Rock de Lux'' ||Spain | "Albums of the Year" ||align=center|2 ||<ref name="OOR Albums" /> |- |align=center|1991 ||''[[Muziekkrant OOR|OOR]]'' ||[[Netherlands]] | "Albums of the Year" ||align=center|40 ||<ref name="OOR Albums">{{Cite web |url=http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/1991.htm |title=OOR – Albums of the Year |access-date=April 29, 2011 |work=[[Muziekkrant OOR|OOR]]}}</ref> |-class="sortbottom" |colspan=6 style=font-size:8pt; align=center|"'''*'''" denotes an unordered list. |}
==Charts== '''Album''' – ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' (United States) {| class="wikitable" !Year !Chart !Position |- |1991 |[[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] |align="center"|49<ref name="Billboard"/> |}
'''Singles''' – ''Billboard'' (United States) {| class="wikitable" !Year !Single !Chart !Position |- |rowspan="2"|1991 |"Sunless Saturday" |[[Alternative Airplay|Modern Rock Tracks]] |align="center"|7 |- |"Everyday Sunshine" |Modern Rock Tracks |align="center"|14 |}
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Fishbone}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reality of My Surroundings, The}} [[Category:1991 albums]] [[Category:Columbia Records albums]] [[Category:Fishbone albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by David Kahne]]